A Vengeful Heart
by LadyEsca
Summary: A mysterious stranger has arrived in Bikini Bottom and is plotting to do away with Spongebob in order to gain an unsuspecting prize. Can Sandy save Spongebob, reveal this new monster, and restore peace back to her home? Ahoy! 'Tis Chapter Ten!
1. The Strangler Returns

A/N: My first story posted on here, So don't kill me! Oh yeah... I love reviews too! Send 'em on in! And contructive critisism ish okay too!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Spongebob.. Yadda…yadda… Wish I did though… o.o  
  
A woman screaming and a man crying out to her pierced the intense silence of the film sequence as he lifted up a blade and wickedly brought it down upon her.  
  
"I'm sorry, Margaret! I had to do it! I just had to!" he shrieked, his voice racked with grief.  
  
Blood gushed from the woman and she held onto the man, weeping.  
  
"Charles… It was all my fault… I brought it upon myself…" the woman whispered before she died and fell onto the floor.  
  
The lights dimmed out and Charles howled in agony as he fell to his knees and held Margaret.  
  
"We will continue with our Late Night Horror Feature: It Wont Be Long Until Midnight, after this commercial break." drawled the monotone voice of the host on the show.  
  
As a line of commercials droned on, Spongebob and Gary sat in the darkness on their living room floor, eating kelp-seasoned popcorn and watching the flashing pictures on the screen. Turning to his snail companion, the gleeful sponge remarked, "Isn't this movie great, Gary?"  
  
"_Meow… It's pretty corny… Aren't you scared_?"  
  
"Me? Scared?" Spongebob laughed and he blew loudly. "It'll take a lot more to frighten me! And what are you talking about?! This movie isn't corny!"  
  
"_Meow. Don't wet your pants then, like you did last time."_  
  
"Gary! I'll have you know that that was butter from the popcorn! I put too much butter on it! And my underwear is fresh and white!"  
  
"_Meow. Little more than I wanted to hear…"_  
  
Spongebob rolled his eyes playfully at his snail and turned his attention back to the screen.  
  
"Oh look! The movie is back on!"  
  
"_Meow. Yawn_."  
  
"Welcome back to Late Night Horror Feature: It Wont Be Long Until Midnight. Please enjoy the rest of the film."  
  
Leaning forward, Spongebob watched in fascination as the gore and terror ensued on the screen. His blue eyes dilated and he sat stock-still as a bloody telephone rang and a mutilated fin reached down to pick it up. At the same time, a slight shifting sound and metal upon metal rang softly from the back door. Gary ceased shoving popcorn into his mouth and turned around, narrowing his eyes at the blackness in the kitchen. Hissing quietly, Gary slithered forward.  
  
"_Meow! Ssss!! Something is wrong, Spongebob. I heard a noise_!"  
  
"It was just the movie! Be quiet!"  
  
"_Meow, meow! Ssss!!! No, seriously. I heard a sound from the back door. Turn on the lights!!!"_  
  
"Gary! Shut up!" Spongebob yelled at his snail, still not tearing his gaze away from the bloody scenes on the screen.  
  
_"MEOW! SPONGEBOB, this is serious! I think someone is breaking into the house! I smell something funny!"_  
  
"I locked the doors, okay? You're just hearing the T.V…"  
  
Gary continued to hiss at the darkness until suddenly, a huge, black figure stole up out of the gloom and was shadowed by the flickering lights on the screen. Quietly, it cracked its knuckles and its gleaming yellow eyes seemed to smile viciously at Spongebob.  
  
"_MEOW! MEOW! MEOW!!! OH DEAR NEPTUNE, THERE'S AN INTRUDER! SPONGEBOB, TURN AROUND!"_  
  
"Oh, for Atlantis' sake… What do you w-…"  
  
The sponge was then cut off when a thick, green fin rested on his shoulder. Freezing up, Spongebob slowly twisted his head around and with huge eyes, he looked up into the face of the creature who hated him the most… The Strangler, grinning wickedly down at him.  
  
"Didja miss me?" The Strangler asked him evilly, tightening his grip on the horrified Spongebob's thin shoulder.  
  
"Uh… uh… uh, hey Strangler… what's goin' on?" the sponge asked as sweat fell down his face and was absorbed by his skin.  
  
"Oh, just bustin' outta prison and all that. I don't think I was ready for death row," he snarled menacingly, his green fin slowly caressing Spongebob's throat.  
  
"But… I believe you are!!!" he suddenly roared, snatching up Spongebob and wrapping his fins around his neck.  
  
The Strangler, living up to his name, began to throttle the sponge as he screamed wildly for help. Gary hissed viciously and leaped at the murderer, his fangs bared. The snail sank his razor-sharp teeth into the Strangler's thick arm and the burly fish howled in pain. Dropping the sponge to the floor, the Strangler began to swipe at Gary, furious at seeing his own blood swirl around in the water before him.  
  
Hissing and spitting, Gary let go and fell to the floor, glaring at the murderer angrily. Spongebob slowly sat up, massaging his damaged throat and wincing in agony. The Strangler whirled around fiercely and faced Spongebob, breathing heavily and rubbing his bloody arm. Gritting his teeth together, the fish cracked his knuckles once more and lunged wildly at Spongebob, once more taking him by the throat.  
  
"This is what you get for ratting people out, you sick, tattle-telling son of a… Ahhhh!!!!!!" he thundered as Gary attacked him once more and clamped on his leg.  
  
_"Mreow! Hisssss! Let Spongebob go!!!"  
_  
"Augh! You stupid snail!" the Strangler roared, kicking his leg to try and rid it of the sponge's protective companion.  
  
Grabbing Gary's tender eye stalks, the murderer swung him high above his head before releasing him and crushing the snail into the living room wall. Gary's shell shattered into a thousand pieces and Gary oozed down the wall and into an unconscious puddle of snail upon the floor.  
  
"Gary… Gary…" Spongebob muttered faintly, his flailing legs beginning to slow down and his eyesight dimming considerably.  
  
Smiling wickedly, the Strangler pushed his face against Spongebob's and he laughed, his voice dripping with venom.  
  
"The Strangler makes it so that no one tattle-tells and gets away with it," he hissed viciously into Spongebob's ear, his deranged chuckle echoing throughout the pineapple.  
  
The sponge hung from the Strangler's clenched fins, gurgling and choking as the brutal fish grinned nastily at him. Spongebob then slowly shut his eyes and as he faded out of this world, the last thing he heard was the Strangler snickering…  
  
"I had to do it… I just had too…" 


	2. The Morning After

A/N: WOW! THANKS FOR THOSE REVIEWS! They mean sooooo muchies to me! I shall now acknowledge you awesome reviewers!

Spongegurl13: My first reviewer! Thanks for reading this, and I hope you enjoy the rest!!!

K: I did enjoy those eppies on the 11th, but I read their transcripts loooooooong before they premiered. I know tis violent, but I hope you still like it!

Spongefan Squarefiction: MY FAV. AUTHORESS! You don't know how many times I passed out when I saw your review!!! Thanks! And upload your story too!!! Tis awesome!

KW: Just keep reading and you'll see the surprise inside! XD

Kemal: As for your fake flame... DIE! XD!!! Thanks for the good review though!

A/N: I can finally make my chappies look pretty! W00tness!!! But on the downside... This chappy is really slooooooooooooooooooooooooow. Dun worry though! The next chappy will be wicked!!! So it's worth it!!! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I WANT HIM! But I don't own him... Spongebob that is. o.o The plot is mine though!

**Chapter 2: The Morning After**

**Written by LadyEsca**

* * *

A blue-green octopus stood in front of the vault-door leading into the pineapple the next morning, an annoyed look on his face truly covering up the anxiety and worry he really felt. Two cop fish stood in front of him, jotting everything down in the notebooks as he spoke.  
  
"Look. All I'm telling you is that I heard loud screaming coming from this place at two-thirty A.M. this morning, okay? I didn't see anyone go in!" he growled irately at the police.  
  
The male cop looked up from his notes and pointed the pencil eraser at the octopus.  
  
"You only heard screaming? How many voices did you hear, Mr. Tentacles?"  
  
"One was definitely Spongebob. The other… I couldn't tell who it was. It was a nasty voice though," Squidward replied, a tiny bit of sweat rolling down his neck and into his brown shirt.  
  
The female cop exchanged glances with her partner and muttered, "Then that other voice had to be the Strangler. We found that he escaped from prison just before you called about the break-in."  
  
Squidward nodded silently and turned his gaze from the police to the inside of the pineapple where investigators and more cops were checking out the scene. There had been a struggle. It was plain to see.  
  
The sand on the ground was kicked about everywhere and blood floated around lazily in the water. The back door was unlocked and a heavily wounded Gary was gently scooped up and sent to the vetrinarian for shelter, rest, and a new shell.  
  
"Meow… meow…" Gary mewed weakly at Squidward as a police-fish carried him out of the pineapple.  
  
But no one knew what Gary had said. Only Spongebob could understand the poor snail.  
  
Squidward watched with a heavy heart as the pitiful Gary mewed desperately to him, but the octopus could not translate what he was crying out. Turning his gaze away, Squidward looked onto Conch Street and witnessed Sandy Cheeks, Spongebob's squirrel friend, barreling towards his house at full speed. Patrick's rock flew up due to Sandy's speed and he peeled off of the bottom and fell onto the floor.  
  
"Ouch! What goin' on?" the starfish inquired to the tiny squirrels and rocks that spun in circles about his head.  
  
Sandy turned sharply onto Spongebob's walkway and screeched to a loud halt, kicking sand up into Squidward's face.  
"What happened?! Where's Spongebob?!" she hollered frantically, her sienna fur glistening with sweat.  
  
Pawing sand and grit out of his maroon eyes, Squidward couldn't bring himself to be frustrated with the squirrel. She was just as anxious and scared as he was, so he gently rested his tentacles on her shoulders and whispered, "They told me that the Strangler broke into his house last night. They just found Gary a moment ago; His shell was smashed and he was nearly dead…"  
  
"But what about Spongebob!?" she cried, tears forming in her eyes.  
  
Squidward quickly averted his eyes from Sandy and he stared uncomfortably at the ground. His tentacles slipped from her shoulders, but she caught them in her white paws and held them tightly.  
  
"Squidward…" Sandy breathed, begging the octopus to tell her.  
  
Keeping his eyes locked onto the ground, Squidward heaved a huge sigh and whispered in a choked voice, "The police have no idea where he is. They can't find his body…"  
  
Silence. Like no other the two creatures had ever endured before. The squirrel's lip quivered, her whole being on the brink of a breakdown. Squidward squeezed her paws and stared sadly into her unfocused eyes. He too could barely keep from falling to his knees and weeping, but he kept his face straight. Nonetheless, a pallid tint had overcome his normal blue color and he grimaced guiltily.  
  
Guilty. The word rang in Squidward's head like the bell that he tapped all day long at the Krusty Krab to bring up an order. Gnawing at him nonstop since he arrived on the scene, Squidward bit his lip, remembering how awful and rudely he had treated Spongebob before this.  
  
_'Like the time at our very first Christmas…'_ he thought distantly.  
  
_But I made up for it!  
  
'I still did it though… And all those other times…'  
_  
Tears filled the octopus' red eyes, but not once did he shed them. Another reason why he began to beat himself up mentally.  
  
"Squidward…" Sandy whispered, her voice choked and painful.  
  
He looked at her sympathetically and blinked more tears back. She looked up at him, tear stains glistening brightly from her cheeks.  
  
"Do you think he's still alive…?" she moaned softly, her paws twitching as she grasped his tentacles tighter.  
  
_Why didn't I apologize to him?!_  
  
Squidward winced at the sudden thought and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the pain.  
  
_Why was I so cruel?!_  
  
Cringing, the octopus stared pleadingly at Sandy. The guilt, her sorrow, his pain was tearing up his mind and gut.  
  
_Maybe the Strangler should have gotten me…  
_  
"STOP! I DON'T KNOW! AHH! NO!" Squidward suddenly burst out, his eyes wild and his mouth agape with fear and insanity.  
  
Sandy flinched and yanked her paws away, backing up from Squidward. She watched him, afraid, until his eyes went back into focus and he looked at her, shivering all over.  
  
"S-Sandy… I've… I'm gonna… g-go now…" Squidward stuttered, turning around and slowly shuffling away.  
  
Sandy stared at his retreating back, noticing him rubbing his tentacles together and shaking his head at inner thoughts.  
  
"You… Take it easy, pal…" she called weakly.  
  
He didn't respond. Chunnering to himself, he shuddered once more and went into his house. His guilt was a horrible burden that he could barely handle… 


	3. The Dead Awakes

A/N: To all of my WONDEFUL reviewers... (_hands all of you hard, metal bats)_ Ye may beat me all ye like, for I have done 2 evil deeds! One, I have taken FOREVER to update, and two, THIS CHAPPY IS REALLY SHORT!!! But I promise you lovely people that this will never, and I mean NEVER happen again! I made this short for a reason, but still... don't hold back, for I deserve it!

Ahem! On with lavishing over my BRILLIANT reviewers! You guys ROCK MY SOX!

Spongefan Squarefiction: Oh! I'm sorry that you were near tears, but I did mean for that to be a miserable moment for both of them. I'm so cruel! (_wails)_ Forgive me!

Spongegurl13: WOO! More suspense on the way, chickadee!

LucyRocks73: Updatation is on the way!!! Oh, by the by, is that the I Love Lucy - Lucy that rox? Cuz she does rock! Power to red-heads!

K: OOO! I like the thought! I need all the help I can get, cuz this story ish getting thick!!! And yes... after mistreating my SB like that, I wanted to get back at Squiddy! (_demented cackle)_ And Gary! Yes, so loyal!

Paul Sheldon: (_BLUSH)_ Thank you! I'm so glad for your review, cuz I've been waiting patiently for it! Oh, a cruise? How lovely! Did you see SB anywhere out in the ocean? XD! (_GASP!)_ 25 cents a minute! Evil I say! That's how much I make in a year! LOL!

ON WITH MAH KEWL STORY! :)

**Chapter 3: The Dead Awakes**

**Written by Lady Esca**

* * *

Three muffled knocks rapped at a wooden door and the beady eyes tried to peer through the porthole, but the glass was covered with brown cowhide stretched taut across it. Dozing slightly, the creature from within the room came to full alert and quickly barked, "Quit yer bangin' and git in here!"  
  
The door flew open and slammed shut as the fish jumped into the room and sweated. The room was dim, but he could still see the dim outline of the creature sitting behind a broken table, its booted feet kicked up onto the wrecked furniture.  
  
"This damn air suit gits really annoying after a while, Y'know?" the beast asked the fish.  
  
Stepping into a small moonbeam, the fish revealed himself to be the Strangler. Gulping nervously, Strangler lifted up a small burlap back and dumped it onto the busted table. A small squeak was heard from within.  
  
The mysterious creature's eyes lit up as it leaned forward and poked the bag roughly.  
  
"So ya killed the lil' idiot, huh? Guess ya git what I promised ya…"  
  
Reaching under the table, the creature produced a smaller bag and deposited it in Strangler's awaiting fins. The cruel fish snickered and shoved it into his back pocket.  
  
"It's a good thing you busted me outta prison. I was beginning to go crazy 'cause I couldn't strangle anybody!"  
  
"Think nuthin' of it, partner. That square goof-head was getting' too big for them boots of his, an' I need all the help I c'n git!"  
  
The two evil creatures snickered quietly. The Strangler then realized he had forgotten something and reached into his pocket, producing a folded up piece of paper. He handed it quickly to the southern beast and watched as it unfolded and examined it.  
  
"Hm… Oh yeah, this guy! Well, the deed's done. No need to be alertin' ol' half-pint 'bout it now. Didn't need the flea's help anyways."  
  
Strangler's eyes widened as he replied, "But didn't he want that secret formula thing?"  
  
The creature thought for a moment and cursed silently. It then answered, "Ah, yer right. He'll be havin' his antennas in a bunch, yes he will. No need ta worry though. 'Tis jus' a tiny piece of plankton, right?"  
  
The two began to laugh once more, with some over-enthusiastic knee-slapping from the Strangler. The beast fell silent and watched his accomplice with an eye of distaste until suddenly, there was a weak groan and the burlap bag shifted slightly.  
  
Crying out, the Strangler leaped backwards, tripped, and hit the floor painfully hard. The mysterious creature whipped out a Colt 45 from its holster, pointing it at the bag and bellowing, "Holy Alamo!!! I thought I told ya to kill this thing!?!" 

A/N: My first CLIFFHANGER attempt! More chappies on da way!!!


	4. A Call to the Wild

A/N: I'M BACK AGAIN! Man, I got really inspired to write this, so I did, and another quick update for you guys, but I worked hard! This took about, what... 1 or 2 hours? Yeah! :) I slaved my fingers off for you guys to give you a longer chappy, so I hope this will do until chappy 5!!! It'll take longer to write that one, 'cuz it's gonna be really neat and I'm planning on posting my Animaniacs story that I've written! If yall are fans, yall should check it out!!! Warning: YAKKO ANGST! XD!

Anywho... Yeah! I've given the beast a nickname for now... Can't go telling who he is! (_wink_) Oh, and I've also finished Brian Jacques new book, Rakkety Tam, which is marvelous! You should read it!

K: It's killing you? OH NO! XD! Glad you're wanting more! Well, here tis!

Spongefan Squarefiction: XD!!! The bag! It tis alive!!! LOL! But no!!! I will not let anything out on my beloved mystery person until later chappies!

Paul Sheldon: I've outdone myself! W00TNESS! Thanks lotsa much, buddy! About M.P... I'm not telling! :) Oh, and don't fall outta your seat!

NorthenLight33: OO Git-R-Done, gal! Beat that nasty fish! Dun worry, evil always gets its due in the end, trust me! :) Thanks for reviewing!

Spongegurl13: WOOO!!! I love yer reviews! I'll keep the chappies coming if the reviews keep flooding on in!!!

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU, my loyal reviewers! I shall repay you with a new chappy, for tis all I can do for you! You all are GREAT in every way possible, and I hope you stay GREAT forever! This is dedicated to ALL OF YOU! MWAH!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own cutie SB or Larry the Cable Guy's saying. I just own mystery person!

**Chapter 4: A Call to the Wild**

**Written by Lady Esca**

* * *

The gun shaking madly in the beast's claws, its dark eyes watched as the bag stirred and twisted in the captive's efforts to free himself from its stifling confines. The Strangler picked himself up from the ground, rubbing his backside and groaning at the forming bruises.  
  
"Quiet, yew no-good twit!" the creature snarled harshly at the fish.  
  
Still aiming the gun at the bag, the creature gingerly grabbed at the strings that secured it and jumped back as the burlap bag fell open to reveal the half-dead form of Spongebob Squarepants, his hand clutching his damaged neck which had turned a sick purple. A nauseating, wheezing gasp grated from his throttled throat, trying to suck in as much water into his weakened lungs as he could muster.  
  
The beast winced at the hacking cough and feeble whimpering from the sponge. It tightened its jaw though and ripped its gaze from Spongebob to his partner in crime.  
  
"I had expected yew to kill this nuisance!" it roared, grabbing a stone from the floor and hurling it wildly at the Strangler.  
  
The Strangler avoided the missile by centimeters. It whistled past his gills and drove itself deep into the wooden door, splinters breaking loose and drifting lazily about in the water.  
  
Thinking quickly, the brutal fish jerked the tiny bag from his pocket that the creature had given to him. Ripping it to shreds in his terror, the Strangler now brandished a lethal strangle cord made from tough horse sinew. Wrapping its ends expertly about his fins, the Strangler rapidly looped it around the delirious Spongebob's neck and proceeded to finish the job, when the beast cocked its gun loud enough for him to hear.  
  
Strangler looked up to find himself staring into the muzzle of the Colt and the stone-serious face of the southern creature. Its voice was low and dangerous, and the fish knew to heed its words carefully.  
  
"Listen ta me, yew sorry excuse fer a killer. I wanted this sponge dead, but I've realized that no matter how hard yew try an' asphyxiate 'im, it wont do no good. It's this spongy skin o' his that's makin' him durable."  
  
Tapping the glass helmet with a gloved claw, he remarked, "Fellers like mahself are pretty smart thinkers, so I've come up with a plan: We take this here paper," the beast gestured towards the small paper lying on the table. "And we bring it to that tiny schemer who had an idea fer me. I'm pretty sure that this scrap o' garbage may come in handy and dispose of ol' sponge-fer-brains, eh?"  
  
Terrified of the gun trained between his eyes, the Strangler gulped nervously and nodded briefly. Beaming cruelly, the beast pinched his accomplice's cheek roughly and cooed in a baby-voice, "Can you go tell Plankton to git his fancy gadgets fired up fer yer ol' buddy RQ, or ish that job too hard fer yew as well?"  
  
Strangler shook his head as much as RQ would allow. The beast shoved him away and aimed the gun at his retreating form.  
  
"If yew don't even git this done right, I'll let this here demon have his fun with yew instead. Ha, ha! Yew'll be a cryin' for me ta finish ya off, if what I heard about this fiend is correct!" RQ growled, tossing the crumpled paper to the fish, who barely caught it and held onto it with shaky fins.  
  
"Now, git-r-done, yew flake-skinned addlebrain!"  
  
The brute needed no second bidding. As the Strangler bolted out of the room like lightning, RQ whirled upon Spongebob who still lay rasping for water. The wretched sponge's healthy dandelion yellow tone had now taken on a sick, tarnished-gold color and his sapphire eyes were rolled into the back of his head, only exposing the blood-shot whites.  
  
Unduly concerned, the creature snatched up the corner of Spongebob's head and dragged him from the table and across the room towards two cleverly concealed broken floorboards. Lifting them up, RQ dropped the suffering sponge neatly inside and kicked the boards back into place, smirking evilly as he scooted an empty box over them with his booted foot.  
  
"I'll come back for yew later, Squarepants. Tomorrer, I'm gonna go see a good friend of yers at the Chum Bucket! And rest well, 'cuz yer gonna need it for yer long journey to the Dead Sea that I'll be sending yew on!!!"  
  
Cackling madly, the wicked beast stomped heavily on the floor and made its way out of the room, locking Spongebob inside and leaving him to endure his pain and agony, all alone and…  
  
Forsaken.

A/N: OO (_hugs SB tightly) _I don't hate him! I love him to death! Oh, that's just a nickname, RQ, not the real name! I jus got tired of writing "beast and creature". Musta got annoying to yall, huh? LOL! And the big 'A' word that RQ used? Tis meaning throttled, choked, strangled, etc... More chappies in exchange for reviews! Take care!


	5. Little Black Book

A/N: I HAVE UPDATED! HURRAY! Now you won't have to kill me! But I've been SOOOO busy with school, it's not funny! Tho that's not an excuse, hehe... (_sweatdrop) _To acknowledge my reviewers! WOO! I love all of you!

Paul Sheldon: I may have replied to this review already... But, I am a lover of angst. And I have a lot of pain in my life. So I let that pain flow out into my writing. That's why many of my plotsand thecharacters are dark, sinister, and something bad is always happening to them. I'm sorry. (_sweatdrop_) Yes, he is very awesome!

K: I know I'm cruel... But thanks fer yer review!

Spongefan Squarefiction: I have you addicted?! Hurrah! 1# muse! Whee! I hope so! And you added my story to yer favs! _(dies_) WOW!!! THANKS! Oh, and don't worry too much! Everything is gonna be fine! It always ends up okay in stories!

LucyRocks73: Thanks for the little card! I loved it!

JediAnn: Well, thankie very much! I will continue! Just keeping scrolling! XD!

A/N: I HOPE YOU LOVED THE SB MOVIE AS MUCH AS I DID! Well, here's chappy five! Enjoy! _(hugs all my reviewers)_

Disclaimer: If I owned Spongebob, I'd be making this into a movie! I only own the plot and RQ!

**Chapter 5: Little Black Book**

**Written by Lady Esca**

* * *

Two days had passed since Spongebob had gone missing and Sandy had gained permission to enter the lonely pineapple to do a bit of investigating herself. The tough Texas squirrel, though devastated at the loss of her newfound soul mate, was not one to sit around and mope for long. Actions needed to be taken, and Sandy appointed herself as the one to do it.

Upon crossing the threshold of the fruit, a short and stout green lobster with a monocle squinched in front of his left eye held up a large, serrated claw to stop Sandy.

"Excuse me, but civilians are not allowed to enter. You must leave immediately," he informed while puffing on an antique driftwood pipe.

Reaching into a pocket, Sandy produced a small document signed by the police. The lobster snatched it from her, scanned it with his beady eyes, and scowled.

"Feh," he snorted, tossing the parchment back to her and continuing on with the investigation.

Stowing away the paper, the squirrel stepped gingerly about the floor, looking for clues or anything. CSI was one of her favorite programs to tune into every week, and the fact that she was a certified forensic investigator (in Texas, of course) assured herself that she knew what she was doing.

A pair of anchovies, weary from no sleep for two days, leaned against one another and meeped groggily. Irritated, Sandy shoved them out of the way as she looked at a cluster of pictures hanging upon the wall. She studied them with great care, trying not to let hot tears fall from her eyes at the sight of Spongebob. She delicately touched a simple picture of him standing casually, that eternally happy grin on his face brightening the picture all on its own.

Smiling faintly, Sandy traced her finger along the blue bamboo walls until she struck a thumb tack. Shaking her furry head to rid herself of her stupor, the squirrel leaned close to see that the tack was pinning a tiny piece of ripped paper to the wall.

She squinted her eyes and made to rub her chin, but came in contact with her air suit instead. The squirrel then straightened up and made a mental note of it as she decided to go explore the other rooms.

No matter where she went, all the rooms where filled with investigators. The kitchen, hallway, roof, his room, and even the bathroom! As she began to trudge back down the spiraling staircase, a door over to the left suddenly caught her eye. Chiding herself angrily that she hadn't noticed sooner, Sandy gently turned the knob and entered the blackened room.

Flicking on the lights, Sandy gasped in shock and amazement. It was a library! Not only that, but it was massive! Every wall was lined in huge tomes and four gargantuan, iridescent coral pillars rose from the ground to touch the ceiling up above! Soft reading chairs and sofas hung on lethal hooks, only charming to the eyes of sea creatures. A great fireplace rested cold and filled with ashes and before it was a morbid ebony cathedral organ with enchanting golden pipes.

The amazing sights thrilled Sandy and nearly knocked her from her booted paws! Regaining her senses quickly, she quietly looked around the room in fascination until she stumbled upon a hanging chair. She sat down quickly to behold the gigantic room, but instantly jumped to her feet and whirled around.

Looking into the seat, she found that she had sat on a small black book. She picked it up and gasped slightly at its title scrawled a bit childishly against the profound darkness.

"Spongebob Squarepants' Diary."

Sandy stared at the book as it trembled slightly in her paws. Swallowing the huge lump that had formed in her throat, the squirrel felt that this may provide some sort of clue that may give her a springboard in solving this grisly mystery.

Or… Maybe she was just compelled to read what her beloved had thought and written before his untimely demise.

And if so… Would you blame her?

Slowly and delicately, Sandy opened the book and turned the pages carefully to the most recent dates that Spongebob Squarepants had recorded in his precious diary.

A/N: GASP! WHAT DOES IT SAY!? Find out in chappy six!


	6. Discovery of the Past

A/N: Still got them metal bats? Beat me all ye want... AHH!! I feel so filthy! I've betrayed all of you! Spare me! Spare me!  
I've been banned from my computer! I would have had chappy 7 already out, but I've been a bit mouthy... hehe...  
You ALL have been my biggest concern, I swear! Here, chappy six for all of you! WHEEE!!!

NorthernLight33: Whee! Git-r-done!

MyFoot'sAsleep: I love yer name! Oh, and thanks!

GreenStar5323: Thank you!!!

SpongeGurl13: AHHH! ATTACK DOGS!!! Oh, thankies sooo much! I luv ya too!

tvgirlrulz: Hey chickadee! Keep reading and you'll see! Oh, I just translated Snail talk into English so you could understand him!

Paul Sheldon: Oh man, I'm blushing up a storm! :) I'm sorry I've been slow with the updates. I'm trying to make this the best SB story you've ever read! Oh, and I love libraries! Especially SB's! His is beautiful!

K: Wow! Thanks for all the motivation! Aha, and plz calm down chickadee! I'm trying to go as fast as I can while on computer ban, ok? :)

Spongfan: Ah, yer a doll! :) The suspense is driving me crazy too!

Disclaimer: I don't own Spongebob! I LOVE HIM THOUGH! BWAHHAHA!

**Chapter 6: Discovery of the Past**

**Written by Lady Esca**

* * *

_March 6_

_Hello again, diary! Oh my, you won't believe the week I've had! Heh, you know my boss, Mr. Krabs? Well, he played a card game with Plankton from the Chum Bucket last Friday night, and do you know what he did? He bet my contract in the game, and he lost!_

_I then had to work for Plankton at his restaurant, but it was really scary! The grill was strange, the fryers were odd, and everything else was downright creepy! But while I was there, I learned that show tunes really help to ease the pain of homesickness - or is that worksickness? Da, ha, ha, ha, ha!_

_I sorta forgot what happened after that. I must have annoyed Plankton, because he took out my brain and put it in a robot chef! Heh, the robot must have drove Plankton nuts too, because he gave my contract (and me!) back to Mr. Krabs and now I work at the good ol' Krusty Krab again! Woohoo!_

_This band-aid is bugging me real bad. I wish I could take it off, but the doctor told me to leave it on for another week. Kinda funny though… The doctor said that when they were putting my brain back, it was no bigger than Gary's eye! Ah, yeah right… My brain is so much bigger than that, don't you think? Da, ha, ha, ha, ha!!!_

_Well, I suppose I better go to sleep now. It's getting dark, and I don't wanna be late for Sunday! Patrick and I are gonna have a rock-paper-scissors contest! Bubble style! See you later, diary!  
Sincerely,_

_ Spongebob_

Sandy nearly dropped the diary as she doubled over, racked with terrible grief and agony. The burning tears stung her black eyes and a strange, choking noise grated from her throat. The misery of losing the one whom she loved like no other was torture enough. But to remember that he was also the greatest friend she ever had sent a fresh wave of tears cascading down her face, soaking the fur until it shimmered dark and wet.

"Spongebob…" she sobbed, her voice rising high as she spoke, "Yew were so sweet an' pure… who would wanna hurt a little sponge like yew?"

For several minutes, Sandy went quiet, the silence broken only by short sobs and sniffs.

The squirrel was right though. Spongebob was the purest soul to ever grace the Pacific Ocean. When the life of an unmistakable Pure was lost, its burdens and sorrows can be felt in every heart whom that individual has touched.

Feeling that spiritual touch, Sandy rested a shivering paw upon her wildly beating heart and it calmed her slightly.

"C'mon gal," she whispered and she straightened back up and sniffed. "Yew've gotta job ta do."

Opening the book again, Sandy flipped a couple of pages until she reached the next entry. Blinking back tears so she could see, the squirrel suddenly had a dark feeling about it. Cringing as she peered closer, she began to read.

_March 14_

_I believe that if I told anyone else this besides Patrick and you, they would think that I'm mad. This was probably the worst nightmare than anything I've every encountered in my life. I hope you don't doubt me._

_Ever met a demon from the Dead Sea? I have. In fact, I was its creator. I still shudder when I think about it… But to be exact, he didn't come from the Dead Sea. He came from the Surface World. Nevertheless, Surface World demons are not even a tiny bit less scary than our own._

_Y'see, Patrick and I were playing Rock-paper-scissors bubble style, and Patrick was picking paper as usual, when this huge pencil came smashing down between us! We first thought that it was dangerous, but upon inspection, it was as harmless as the pencil I'm writing with right now. We concluded that it fell from the weird artist guy's boat that comes around every year and proceeded to draw giant and may I say, magic pictures with it. Yes, this pencil brought our pictures to life, so I hatched a clever idea in my mind._

_I drew a crude sketch of myself. This is quite disturbing though, for he developed his own malicious mind and personality. He shambled over to Squidward's house, knocked, and when my neighbor answered, the drawing, or Doodlebob began to beat the sea tar out of him! I have no idea why he instantly became so corrupt, but Pat and I followed him and after one unsuccessful attempt at catching the imp, I finally erased him. Unfortunately, that didn't work._

_He somehow was able to draw himself again and chased me downstairs where a grueling death match was fought. Luckily, I didn't get killed, but I found out that I could defeat him by trapping him on paper! And I still have him too, as a reminder to never draw pictures with a giant magic pencil ever again._

_Oh, would you like to see him? I pinned him up on my wall down in the living room, near the front door. Though he still gives me nightmares, I'm sure that Doodlebob will never hurt another soul again, and I rest in peace knowing that this is true._

_ Sincerely,_

_Spongebob_

Sandy stared blankly at the last paragraph in the entry. Ruminating over this, she stood, pocketed the book and exited the library, slowly making her way downstairs to the living room to the spot where the picture was said to have hung.

Scanning the wall closely, Sandy suddenly remembered the torn piece of paper and looked intently at it. The picture seemed as if it was ripped off the wall in a hurry, but Spongebob was always careful with things and wouldn't allow anything to be damaged.

So... who would want a magically drawn picture of Spongebob that was supposedly dangerous?

A/N: WHOOP! Chappy Seven is gonna be wicked!


	7. Reawakening

A/N: I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I know I did!!!

GreenStar5323: Lol! Thankies a lot! I love Doodlebob too!

Northernlight33: XD!!! Thanks for the review!

SpongeWolf: Woo! I like yer name! And thankies!

Spongefan Squarefiction: Aha!!! Mine too! It reveals a true villian in the SB series, and I LOVE writing stories about him! Oh, and assumptions are okay! (_saves you from the bricks)_

Spongegurl13: WOOHOO! Thankies lotsa much! :)

Paul Sheldon: (_eyes the metal bat) _Well, as said before, I love Doodle! And thanks! I thought I was getting off track, but I guess I'm not! Yipee!

LucyRocks73: Thankies for da review! Keep reading, and you'll see! :)

JediAnn: Right here! A cold can of thrillers for yer enjoyment! (_opens can and fizz sprays everyone)_ AHHH!

A/N: OKAY BABY! Here is my Christmas present to all you guys!!!

Disclaimer: I WANT SB! But Hillenburg owns him...

**Chapter 7: Reawakening**

**Written by Lady Esca**

* * *

_Boom! Boom! Boom!_

Plankton dropped his Evil Monthly magazine and cringed as the knocks reverberated painfully off the walls and into his delicate ears. Rubbing his head, he groaned and made his way to the door.

"Honey, who is it?" Karen asked.

Plankton suddenly brightened at the sound of his darling wife's voice and replied, "Oh goody! It may be your new upgrades!"

"What upgrades?!" she cried.

The microscopic mastermind flung open the front door and instantly frowned up at the hulking form of the Strangler.

"You don't have my upgrades!" he yelled. Slouching slightly he muttered, "So what do you want?"

Squatting down, Strangler handed the tiny villain the folded piece of paper.

"RQ wants his monster," the fish growled.

Plankton staggered backwards as he unfolded the paper. It was the picture of Doodlebob, and the evil drawing smiled wickedly at him.

"Ugh, can't that air breather kill Spongebob himself? I don't wanna bring this cretin to life!" Plankton groaned, tossing the paper down.

"I tried to strangle him, but it didn't work. And RQ doesn't want to get his hands dirty with murdering the sponge himself."

"Enlist henchmen to do the nasty work, eh?" the plankton growled. "All right, I'll do it. But I want that Krabby Patty Secret Formula in exchange, got it?"

Strangler contorted his face in annoyance, but nodded.

"I'll have to get it later, 'cuz RQ wants this doodle up and finishing the job now!" the fish snarled, kicking the paper back at Plankton.

The fiendish genius was slavering at the thought of a Krabby Patty when the paper smacked him in the face and sent him flying into his laboratory. Landing on a table of sharp, gleaming instruments, Plankton cursed and rubbed his rear end where a needle had jabbed him.

"You moronic imbecile! Now I won't be able to sit for a week!" he bellowed.

"Good. It'll keep yew on yer feet an' workin'."

The two creatures turned to see RQ framed in the door way, tightly gripping the picture of Doodlebob in his gloved hand and gritting his teeth.

"Eh, Boss… What are you doin' here so early?" Strangler cringed as he spoke.

Stepping into the lab, the beast growled softly at the beeping machines and flashing lights. This was a very impressive display of Plankton's intellect, but RQ only snorted in disgust and slammed the picture down upon a newly erected operating table.

"If I hadn't have come, yew two would have never brought this… Doodlebob ta life! I have to stay on yer aft ends to make sure everything gits done, don't I?!" the creature roared, pounding the table with anger-fueled blows.

The Strangler hopped backwards and Plankton cried out as he fell from the instrument table, both shaken by their boss's exploding fury. Snatching up a pencil from the table, RQ erased one of the three stumpy fingers on each of Doodlebob's crudely drawn hands and replaced the limbs with huge, curving claws. Also, he furiously expunged the silly buck teeth and drew two sharp fangs in their place.

"Modify yer own monster! Ha, ha!" RQ laughed maniacally, throwing down the pencil and watching with instant distaste as Plankton and Strangler both returned cautiously to their feet and shook with fear.

"Now ta finish this off… Plankton, where's that pen I gave yew?"

Plankton hastily scrambled over to a picture of himself at his college graduation and pulled the photo away, revealing a safe with a combination lock, similar to the one Mr. Krabs owned that concealed the fake Krabby Patty Formula. Spinning the dial and listening intently for a moment, there was a click and Plankton swung the titanium door open with a flourish.

Lifting a huge, ballpoint pen from the comfort of a tiny pillow, Plankton's knees wobbled dangerously before they completely buckled and he fell from the secret compartment and hit the floor. Rubbing his little head and groaning, Plankton had only a second to look up just as the pen landed on him with a sickening crack!

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!"

Slapping the air helmet around the vicinity of his forehead, RQ snarled viciously and yelled, "Strangler, git the pen from that dolt and let's git this over with!!! We have bigger fish ta fry!"

Regarding the idiom with the highest of loathing, the brutal fish snatched the pen from the floor and peeled Plankton from it.

"I am in excruciating pain! You could at least be gentle!!!" he roared, spittle flying out of his mouth.

Strangler smirked and carelessly dropping Plankton's flattened form to the ground as he handed the writing device to the beast waiting impatiently. Grabbing the massive pen, RQ balanced it over his shoulder, twisted it to click it open, and carefully began to outline the wicked visage of Doodlebob.

"Uh… Boss? What good's tracing this guy gonna do?" Strangler asked hesitantly.

RQ maintained outlining as he spoke.

"By that diary yew told me that yew read, a pencil from my world caused drawings to come ta life. Well, if we draw over him again with a magic pen, wouldn't that bring him back again?"

Strangler thought for a moment, but the beast continued.

"Plus, ink ain't erasable, so he'll be extra fortified and fit to fight. Yew can't git rid of ink like yew can lead, huh?"

Strangler finally lit up and grinned with realization.

"He'll be indestructible!"

RQ smiled wickedly as he went over Doodlebob's new claws with the magic pen.

"That's right, my fishy friend," he growled.

After much cursing and ranting, Plankton finally joined the two creatures by standing on the silver instrument table, back in his original form.

"We're supposed to be a team, you warp-headed, scaly bottom feeder!" Plankton shouted at Strangler.

With a sharp flick of his fin, the fish sent Plankton flying off of the table and back onto the floor once more.

"Imbecile!" he screamed furiously.

"Shut up yew two! I'm almost done…" the beast bit his lip as he finished outlining Doodlebob's foot. "There! Now step back, gentlemen, and watch the show!"

Plankton leaped onto RQ's shoulder and they stared at the picture for a minute. Nothing was happening.

They waited for another minute.

Nothing.

"This is stupid! What kind of idiot would think that a "magic" pen could-"

But Plankton was cut short when a foul blast of water hit all of them in the face and they stumbled backwards as an evil black light glowed from the paper. Watching in utter fascination, the three creatures beheld the awesome spectacle with the lights dancing in their wide eyes, when suddenly a massive claw tore itself from the page and latched onto the side of the table.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the three screeched with uncontrollable terror.

They flung themselves down onto the ground and cowered as another claw ripped from the paper and grabbed the table as well. The claws began to pull with extreme force against the page and an almighty shrieking roar bellowed and resonated around the cold laboratory. Strangler and Plankton covered their ears, but RQ could do nothing about it and flinched as the painful noise nearly shattered his helmet and busted his ear drums.

There was the sound of ripping paper and the next thing the three saw appear over the table was the corrupt and sinful countenance of the demon Doodlebob. His fanged mouth opened and black ink flowed like blood. With another tear, he ripped his legs free from the confines of the paper and stood upon the operating table, brandishing his awesome claws and shrieking out incoherent words.

"Aba babba! Fwee habba!" he snarled, leaping down on the floor.

Strangler was curled up into a fetal position, bawling his eyes out.

"Mommy! I want my mommy! There's a monster! Help me!!!" he cried pitifully.

RQ looked around feverishly for Plankton, and found him hiding in the Strangler's hair, crying as well.

"Idiots!" he roared, trying to mask his own panic and trepidation.

Shakily standing up, RQ pointed the open pen at the approaching monster, swallowing with a loud gulp. Doodlebob licked his claws, eager to kill, but the pen before him sent a rattle through his thin body and he halted in his tracks, fixing his bloody ink eyes on RQ.

"Ee mabba…" he cursed, spitting ink at the pen wielder's booted feet.

Grimacing, RQ kept his eyes on Doodlebob as he snarled, "Git up here, yew sniveling babies! Plankton, give me that implant!"

Cautiously, the microscopic creature pulled a tiny chip from his pocket and tossed it to RQ. He caught it deftly and waved the pen in a spinning motion.

"Turn around and stay still, demon," he ordered darkly.

Doodlebob hissed, baring his vampire like fangs, but complied reluctantly. RQ hastily slapped the implant upon the monster's back and Doodlebob gave an unholy roar, whirling around and dealing a catastrophic blow to the beast.

RQ was a swift thinker, and jerked the pen in front of his neck. Doodlebob bellowed in fury, having cleaved the pen in half instead of decapitating his foe. Tossing the pen away, RQ wrenched his head backwards as Doodlebob unleashed another attack.

"Turn it on, Plankton!" he screamed desperately, narrowly avoiding the hideous claws.

Plankton's single red eye roved over the laboratory until he spotted the remote control laying on the instrument table. Coiling up his tiny legs, Plankton sprang from the Strangler's head onto the metal slab. With a mighty slam of his minute fist, the plankton pressed the button on the control and witnessed an awesome display of lightning bolts careen through Doodlebob's inky body and pummel him to the floor.

There was a long, thick silence after that. Strangler sat up, whimpering as he wiped his nose and Plankton slumped upon the table, pawing sweat out of his eyes. RQ fell to the floor and leaned heavily against the titanium wall, trying his best to calm his ferociously beating heart.

"Strangler… Plankton… Take that thing to my office. Chain and cage 'im up real good, y'hear? I'll be back there at nightfall. Stay until I return."

The two nodded and began to work as RQ stumbled from the lab and sat at a dining table in the restaurant half of the Chum Bucket. Leaning wearily on his arm, RQ looked heavenward and closed his eyes.

"What have I done?"

A/N: Please stay tuned for Chappy 8!


	8. His Heart is Still Beating

A/N: I'm back form the DEAD! Just like SB! And I AM terribly SORRY! Other stories have come to mind, problems have arisen, and I have been worn out:) Beat me with those metal bats, or read the next chappy! _(relieved that it's finally posted!) _

Invader GreenStar: A demon! Gah! Thank you!

SpongeFan Squarefiction: BLUSHING LIKE CRAZY! THANKS! XD!

Estelle Rabon: Woo! Thnakies! Ya'll will soon see everything come together soon!

NorthernLight33: Yer name reminds me of Balto... aha! Yah chappy 8!

SpongeWolf: Twasn't it! Lol! I loved writing that!

Paul Sheldon: Tis some Doodlebob. He's a bad boy!

Marih Dimitri: LOL! Thanks!

bobegnops: thanks! oh.. the story said, "nearly shattered" so it didnt break at all. it almost did, though!

Rhiannon the Angel Elf: Whoa! Now that makes me blush! Thank you soooo much! I'd love to read what you write too! Thanks for adding me! Fwee!

JediAnn: I LOVE YER IDEAS! jots them down Fweeness! Keep 'em coming:)

Bla Bla: thank you for that tidbit, but if you'll watch a commentary with Stephen Hillenburg from whatever DVD it was, he clearly states that Mr. Squidward is indeed an octopus. sry to burst yer bubble:)

A/N:On with the delayed story! _(cries)_ im sorry!

Disclaimer: GAH! I WANT SB! But I don't own him. Mr. Tibbit, don't sue me...

**Chapter Eight: His Heart is Still Beating**

**Written by Lady Esca**

* * *

Spongebob's eyelids felt like they were glued together with a powerful adhesive. The water around him was stagnant and his gut was growling like a sea-troll, demanding to be fed. He had no idea how long he had laid there. It seemed like ages. 

Blindly sitting up, he cried out in shock as his head connected solidly with the low floorboards and knocked him back down. With a dull pounding in the square head of his, he gently pried his sapphire eyes open and was able to see due to tiny shafts of light glinting through the cracks in the floor. Looking at his frail hands, the sponge noticed that they were a tarnished gold, and a wave of nausea suddenly overcame him.

Taking a deep breath of the torpid water, Spongebob scrambled weakly over to a spot away from where he was laying and emptied the contents from his stomach. After retching for several minutes, the feeble sponge collapsed on the spot where he woke up and pathetically tried to sift the stagnant water through his pores so he could grasp a fresh breath. Dismally staring at the blackness, the sponge tried to figure out where he was and what had happened.

"I was with Gary and… Augh!" he cried, grasping his damaged throat and hacking wildly.

With tears springing up in his sapphire eyes, he then began to filter feed, thinking that it was much wiser to try and fill his starving stomach than to talk aloud and injure his throat further. To additionally calm himself down, he began to shed his tears, and they flowed like buckets down his tarnished face, only to be soaked up by his absorbent skin. He never cared what people thought of him when he cried, and now was a good of time as any to let it all out.

"Man, that was a close one. I thought that officer was gonna pull us over," puffed a nasty voice.

"Quit babbling and open that cage over there. I don't want him to wake up anytime soon," ordered another voice.

Spongebob paused and listened with care. It was Strangler and Plankton! The rattle of chains was heard and the sound of a metal door slamming and a key turning a padlock after that. A slow hissing noise suddenly came to Spongebob's attention, and he pressed his ear against the floorboards, trying to decipher what it was.

"Hey… Do you think this was a good idea? To bring this guy to life?" Strangler asked after a moment of listening to Doodlebob's demented snarling.

Spongebob silently crept over towards the voices. He listened intently and gasped in surprise as something wet dripped from the floorboards and landed on his elongated nose. Touching it, he pulled a disgusted face and wiped it away on some algae. It had been ink and it left a dark smudge on Spongebob's nose and finger.

"What do you think, blubber brain? That land idiot doesn't know the forces he's dealing with. We've got a monster to baby-sit now, and Spongebob to take care of once its under control!" Plankton retorted.

"Abba fwa! Me, nabba fa!" Doodlebob, now awake, shrieked, and Spongebob covered his ears as the demons claws smashed against the steel cage bars.

"Wait…" the sponge whispered in a raspy voice. "I know that voice…"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Plankton roared over the din, and a hideous lighting bolt careened through Doodlebob's body, knocking him flat on the ground.

"I have just about had it with you already! One more word, and you're going in a sulfur geyser! Strangler, hand me that interpreter implant!"

A wave of weakness suddenly overcame Spongebob as he tried to concentrate on the monster. He gently lowered himself to the ground and silently passed out, not knowing what the demon was or when he would wake up again.

* * *

Patrick wasn't home. Sandy lifted up his rock and looked inside for him. She scanned the underside of the boulder and didn't find him there either. 

"Well shucks, where could he be?" she thought aloud, tapping her booted paws.

The answer instantly smacked her in the face and she shook her head.

"The Krusty Krab. I shoulda known."

Sandy was there in ten minutes. She noticed that business wasn't booming as usual, due to the fact that the fry cook was indeed gone. The Patty Vault proved useful, but the heavy demand for the patties was causing supplies to diminish rapidly. And with no fry cook, fresh, hot Krabby Patties could not be made. Mr. Krabs was forced to sell one patty per paying customer now.

Speaking on Mr. Krabs, Sandy found him and Squidward sitting at a round table with Patrick in between, gently talking to him. Patrick had a hard look on his pink face and he stared at his Dr. Kelp in silence. Sandy joined the three and the octopus and crab were relieved to see her.

"Sandy me-girl, we got a little problem," Mr. Krabs began. "Mr. Squidward and are I are tryin' to tell the lad about the incident and… Spongebob being gone… But he just won't listen. Do ya think a noice lady like yerself could give us a hand?"

Sandy nodded and the two watched as she reached across the table and touched Patrick's rough arm.

"Hey partner. I haven't seen you in a-"

"They're lying," Patrick muttered angrily.

"What?"

"They're lying! Spongebob isn't dead! I know he isn't, 'cuz Spongebob can't die!"

Sandy gave Squidward and Mr. Krabs a tough look and turned back to Patrick.

"Listen to me, Pat. I know this is hard-"

"Sure, he's been gone for two days, but that doesn't mean anything! Maybe he went outta town or something! But he's not dead!" the tubby sea star yelled, pounding his fists against the table in a confused rage.

Fish that were near them quickly rushed to the other side of the restaurant and watched Patrick's tantrum from afar.

"Patrick! Please, calm down!" Sandy cried, tears forming in her own eyes as she grabbed his fists with vice-like power and pulled him back down into his seat.

The sea star's heaving breaths melted into mournful sobs and he and Sandy both shed tears of pain and grief for their friend. Mr. Krabs sniffed and looked away while Squidward watched in silence, his heart shattering and his mind clouding with thoughts of guilt once more. The other fish knew of Spongebob's disappearance as well and muttered quietly under their breaths, still watching the scene.

"Patrick… I have not been wanting to admit this… and neither have you. However, it s a fact that we can't ignore anymore."

Sandy sighed and looked into his dark eyes. The sea-star stared back at her, his grimace slowly weakening into a miserable expression of pain.

"Spongebob… is dead. And, he won't never come back. He didn't deserve what happened to him, but none of us can change the past."

Patrick held his breath for a few moments. Everyone in the Krusty Krab was watching him, waiting for a response. When he said nothing, Sandy continued.

"I believe though, that he would feel much better if you would admit that he's gone instead of pretending that he's still alive. It could be a great burden off his soul, y'know?"

Patrick suddenly stood and looked at everyone. There was utter silence until he rested his eyes upon the squirrel. His frown returned and he began to make his way to the door.

"That may be what you believe, Sandy. As for me," Patrick paused and looked over his shoulder. "I can feel it that my _best friend_ is still alive. I know that his heart is still beating."

And then he was gone. Sandy sat there, shell-shocked and lost for words. Patrick had never sounded so… dead-serious before. Or so hauntingly ominous. She abruptly grew frighteningly cold and shivered before standing up and sauntering weakly out of the Krusty Krab as well. She didn't follow Patrick. Nor did she go home. She just… walked.

Mr. Krabs and Squidward remained seated and quiet as the restaurant slowly resumed its normal noisy level. Squidward let out a weak breath and closed his eyes, shuddering in fear. Mr. Krabs however, sat staring at the door with his mouth agape. He then turned to Squidward and choked out, "He d-didn't pay f-fer 'is drink!"

A/N: Crappy chappy. Hope you guys liked it! Writing this is sooo much easier now! Writer's block is gone!


	9. Undersea Rodeo

A/N: ... Aheh... Boy... I've been gone for a while, haven't I? I'm not going to hand you guys lame excuses. All I'm going to say is that these new episodes, which I thought would give me a buttload of inspiration, instead turned me completely off from Spongebob ever since. I'm so terribly sorry for my absence, and I hope my old readers are still here... I know this chapter isn't any good, but please enjoy it. Think of it as my forgive me present.

To all the reviewers: Sorry that I can't point all of you out this time, but thank you so much for your kind words. You got me back on my feet:)

Disclaimer: I do not own Spongebob, and looking at these new episodes, right now I don't want to.

And without further ado, Chapter Nine.

**Chapter Nine: Undersea Rodeo**

**Written by Lady Esca**

* * *

Sandy walked for hours, not knowing where she was going, or hardly even caring. All that plagued her mind was Spongebob. If he wasn't dead, then where was he? Where could the Strangler be hiding him? 

The Texan continued to saunter down the sand road, her eyes closed to prevent her tears from falling. She almost jumped out of her skin as she bumped into a sign and looked up to see that it read, "Now Leaving Bikini Bottom.

Shrugging, she kept on walking.

"I don't care where I go now…" she muttered, trekking on into the foreign wilderness on the outskirts of town.

Up ahead, another sign had messily scrawled across it, "Beware. Sulfur Fields Ahead.

Sandy paused for a moment, thinking twice about coming out here alone. She looked back from where she came, the road shrouded in darkness as the night began to set in and she looked back up at the dark water-sky, sighing dismally. Her booted feet stirred up sand as she went forward, passing up the sign and its warning.

There was suddenly a roar in the distance and Sandy jumped backwards, holding up her paws in a fighting stance.

"Hiyah! … Oh… Ahhh!" she screeched as a sulfur geyser exploded behind her and she dashed through the darkness as more erupted all around her, threatening to blow her to smithereens.

The geysers were extremely hot, and Sandy felt the powerful heat as she sped through the fields, barely avoiding another blast as it surged up into the waters before her. She dug her heels into the sand and bolted the other way, screaming in terror as more and more blasted around her. She had never been this frightened in her life, trapped in heat and darkness, with no escape.

Sandy then felt her paws land on rocky ground and she quickly scrambled onto a large boulder, looking back over her shoulder at the sulfur fields still furiously erupting. An immense sigh of relief escaped from her and she jumped down from the boulder, wanting to get away from the geysers as quick as possible.

Hearing the roar now much farther away, Sandy looked down at the ground, reaching into her suit to wipe sweat from her brow, when she spied the wheel of a ship half buried in sand at her boots and she bent down to examine it.

"Hm?" she murmured, and lifted her gaze, gasping in shock.

Before her was a sunken pirate ship!

She gazed at it in awe, even though it was crumbling and rotting. It was magnificent though! A pirate ship! Slowly, Sandy approached the dead vessel and ran her paw over the decaying wood, crying out as it fell away and plankton swarmed all over her paw. Shaking her paw furiously to get rid of them, she suddenly felt her paw hit against something hard and she froze.

Was there… Something behind her?

Cautiously turning around, Sandy found herself face-to-face with the malevolent glowing eyes of a hulking, great white shark. The beast studied her for a moment, his horrid, serrated teeth covered in grime and blood as he smiled viciously at her.

"Going somewhere, bait?" he asked.

Sandy became cold all over and she pressed her back against the ship.

"Uh… Uh..."

"This ship is off limits…" the shark growled, still baring his frightening rows of teeth. "I hope you weren't intended on going inside"

"W-why's t-that?" Sandy inquired fearfully.

The shark chuckled.

"No reason… I'll just eat you anyways"

Without warning, the shark lunged at Sandy and she kicked off the ground, flipping out of the shark's way. He yelled in pain as his rubbery nose smashed into the ship, causing the wood to disintegrate and he fell into the ship, roaring in fury. Not wanting to wait for the shark to recover, Sandy began to rapidly put distance between them, gasping as she tore into the darkness, only the weak moonlight showing her the way to safety. She shrieked in terror as the shark knocked her into the ground from behind and she whipped around onto her back, looking up into his wicked face.

"Don't deny me a good meal. You know that sharks can swim faster than rodents"

As he opened his mouth to chomp down on Sandy, she drew back her boots and kicked him hard in the muzzle, stunning him. Suddenly feeling the courage to take him on, the squirrel began to karate chop and kick him, gathering all martial arts skills that she knew to battle this undersea monster.

Coming to, the shark bellowed in pain as a rain of blows bashed his body to and fro, and he lunged once more at Sandy, only to miss her again as she leaped back up into the water.

Sandy knew she couldn't let the shark get one bite at her, or he'd ripped her suit and she would surely drown before he could ever get to her. Landing on his back, Sandy began to ride the shark like a bull in a rodeo and he roared in protest, trying to buck her from his back.

"Man, there should be undersea rodeos!" she mocked him, holding onto his fin for support. "Yeehaw"

"Get off me, you stupid rodent!" he snarled, throwing himself against a rock to shake her off.

Yet Sandy held on tight and curled her paw into a fist, pulling back and driving a punch down hard into his right eye. The shark howled in agony and suddenly went limp, crashing into the ground. Sand flew up from the impact and the squirrel jumped from his back, quickly rushing away before he woke up. Sandy didn't stop running until she reached the bow of the ship, hiding behind piles of broken wood. She hunkered down low and looked up at the great vessel, her head buzzing with questions.

"Why would this ship be off limits? Is he hiding something"

The squirrel rubbed her air helmet thoughtfully and stood up as she spied a rotted hole in the ship.

"It's time that I investigated this…"

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I know I deserve flames for taking so long to update... Ah well. Hope you enjoyed chapter nine. 


	10. Alive

A/N: Back from the dead again. Still ignoring those new episodes. I watched Mid-Life Crustacean and Squilliam Returns the other night, and they both tore at my heart to get my butt in gear and write this for you guys. Flame me all you want, I truly deserve it.

But I have finally decided on the ending that I want to write, so hopefully the story will come to a closing where everyone is happy and I don't have to disappoint anyone anymore.

I still love you all, and I hope you are still reading this. It means a lot to me.

Disclaimer: I really don't know who owns Spongebob anymore, but I sure don't...

**Chapter 10: Alive**

**Written by Lady Esca**

* * *

Sandy slipped out from behind the rock and cautiously tiptoed towards the looming ship progressively rotting away, her boots sinking into the sand with each step.

Crawling through the yawning hole in the ancient vessel, the squirrel found herself in the hold filled with algae-ridden barrels and decaying chests. The place had a haunting sensation about it, and the frigid water chilled Sandy past her air suit and to her bones.

Spying a staircase illuminated by chinks of light in the shadows, Sandy headed towards it, and a few broken steps later, found herself in the galley of the ship. She nearly yelped in alarm when she saw the hulking figure of a green fish in the room as well, bent over a counter and shoving food down into his greedy gullet.

She crept behind a barrel of pickles and watched as the monstrous fish dropped food everywhere and nearly choked as he devoured it all. Sandy made a face in repulsion and her stomach growled, reminding her that it hadn't been fed since she ended up here.

Her heart almost stopped in fright when a booming voice rang out and came tramping down the galley stairs, fury and annoyance evident in his tone.

"Strangler! This isn't snack time, you load of shark guts! Git on deck!"

The big fish dropped the food at the sound of a gun cocking and sprang up the stairs as if he had already been shot in the tail fin.

RQ looked around the galley at the mess and snorted in disgust, holstering his gun and cursing under his breath.

At the sight of him, Sandy covered her muzzle and her eyes almost popped out of her skull. No… It wasn't possible… It couldn't be…

As he went through a door into the captain's quarters, Sandy silently followed after him and concealed herself amongst a pile of boxes atop rickety floorboards.

Spongebob awoke at the sound and rose to his knees, peering through a crack in the floor to see what was going on, but with no luck. It sounded as if two people were in the room, but nothing was being said.

Crouching behind the boxes, Sandy couldn't help but watch the creature lounging at a desk, his booted paws propped up onto the table. A longing tore at her soul as she poured over his body, seeing his bushy sienna tail, his tiny round ears, his gleaming buck teeth… And all this time, he was thought to be dead…

Down below the squirrel, Spongebob grew uneasy at the frightening silence and glanced about in the darkness, biting his yellow lip before deciding to investigate.

"Eep!" Sandy cried, feeling knocks from below the floorboards and leaping up a few inches.

"Hey!" RQ yelled, whipping out his gun and aiming it at the boxes. "Show yourself!"

Trembling madly, Sandy slowly rose to her foot paws and both squirrels gawked at each other in fear and shock.

"S-Sandy?"

"Retiq?" she whispered, staring at the gun trained between her eyes.

"Sandy?" came a weak voice from underneath the floor.

The female squirrel whirled around, her eyes wide.

"Spongebob?!" she shrieked, and dove at the floorboards, attempting to rip them up before she froze, feeling the gun press into her back.

"Sandy? Sandy! I'm down here!" the sponge yelled frantically, but was oblivious to what was occurring above him.

"Don't make another move, gal…" Retiq commanded feebly, trepidation choking his voice.

Turning around, Sandy stared up at the big squirrel and shook her head.

"You did this?" she asked in disbelief.

Retiq's paw shook uncontrollably as he held the gun on her, refusing to speak. The squirrel witnessed the tears in his eyes and turned back to the floorboards, her voice cracking.

"Sponge, I'll come back for you."

"Sandy…" Spongebob whimpered softly.

The male squirrel had no time to think when Sandy's boot connected with his arm and then his stomach, sending his gun into the water above and him staggering back into his desk. And in an instant, Sandy had burst through the decaying side of the ship and free-fell down to the ocean floor below, landing hard and feeling a sharp pain shoot up her leg before hobbling away as fast as she could.

Regaining his breath after the brutal kick, Retiq hurried over to the hole and looked out to see her limping into the darkness of night before being swallowed by it completely.

"Son of a bitch!" he yelled, kicking a box and glaring down at the floor.

Now that Sandy knew, she was sure to tell the police, and that would grind his scheme to an abrupt halt.

No… He would have her back. Nothing would get in the way of that.

An idea… An offer… suddenly struck Retiq and he looked back out into the darkness, smiling softly.

"Thank ye, gal. Now I can really git on with mah plan."

Stamping the ground above Spongebob, Retiq sniggered wickedly and slammed the door behind him as he left for the upper deck.

However, as grime and dirt rained down on Spongebob, he sat back and thought for a moment before chuckling quietly. That quiet chuckle became a guffaw of relief and joy, and he could have jumped and danced if he wasn't trapped with only a few inches of clearance above his head.

He was going to be saved! Oh… He was going to be saved… Thank Neptune…

* * *

A/N: I wrote a story a long time ago and it was posted on Tales From Bikini Bottom. Now a dead site, my story is no longer online, and Retiq was introduced in it. I'll try to get it back up on here, but Sandy should explain in the mean time.

I truly hope you enjoyed this. Once again, I love all my faithful readers. You guys keep on reeling me back in.


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